The Path of a Leader
by StormyNight108
Summary: Leonardo, a natural born leader under his sensei, has always been the one with the plan and the directions. His strategetic mind makes him a rightful authoritive fighure. Raphael is a hothead, with strength to overpower any of his brothers. For a long time, Raph had been frustrated at his brother's authority, and his acts of rebellion grow. The strongest should lead, right?
1. Teacher's Pet

The overcast sky above the streets casted shadows, it's intimidating size taking note to burst soon. It was dark anyway, so even if the clouds parted it would still be as dark as midnight. Streetlights gave little light, and the number of cars were few.

Swift shadows danced across the rooftops. As the sky began to break with raindrops, four mutant turtles leaped a large gap one after the other. They landed with light feet, easily controlling their weight to stop themselves from making a sound.

The one ahead of the three paused, causing the others to hault. He held his three-fingered hand up to order silence as he peered over the edge of the roof.

Just as expected, two sihlouettes raced into the darkness, unaware of their pursuers. Leonardo pointed to his purple-masked brother and motioned him in a direction heading east. Donatello rose and raced off without hesitation, his shadow dissapearing among the light rain. Another order was given, leaving the orange- and red-masked brothers heading North above the rooftops.

The blue-masked ninja watched his brothers vanish from his sight before leaping the building roof and landing in the fire escape. He grabbed the poles and swung his way down, his limbs nimble and confident. He landed on the ground below, taking off in the direction the two had gone.

The rain grew heavier as Leo raced onwards. He hoped he was going the right direction. Fortunately, as he turned a corner and pressed his shell against the bricks, he made out the two shadows in the distance. They turned right, running bluntly through the rain.

Leo took off again, making sure to keep a good distance. He stuck to the shadows, finding his confidence strong in these parts. He didn't find it necessary to draw his swords at the moment, though he would usually by reflex. He averted his gaze to the rooftops on each side of this alley. On the left, he spotted Don. On the right, Mikey. But wait, where was Raph?

No time to worry about it. Leo motioned to his brothers to keep on, taking a few steps through the shadows himself. He kept his back pressed against the wall, wincing as his shell scraped the brick. He stared at the two shadows, but they were in too much of a fleeing panic to notice.

He did a flip in the air, drawing his right sword and landing behind the two. His aim was for the sack held in the hands of the taller man, but before he could swing his sword back, a large shadow barreled out from the darkness and rammed into the man's side.

The second shadow, a woman, stepped away with a gasp. Leo recognized his brother's sihlouette at once, and reached forward to grab him before he screwed this up. But Raph was out of reach. He grabbed the man's arms and attempted to pin him, but the shadow fought back. The two rolled around for a second while Leo paused to watch. He sensed his other two brothers join him at his shoulders, watching the two. Raph drew his sais with one free hand, cutting a hole in the sack in Casey's hands.

"Alright, alright! You win!" Casey grinned as he was pinned to the ground. He blinked away the raindrops falling into his eyes as he faced the sky. "Now get off me you big lump."

Raph let go, straightning up and smirking. "Now that was fun." He admired, turning to his brothers. He caught them staring at him and paused. He put his sais away and narrowed his eyes.

"I thought we weren't supposed to see you...?" The woman, April, spoke up in wonder. She crossed her arms, and Leo stepped forward.

"Raph, why weren't you with Mikey?" He asked simply, sheathing his katanas and crossing his arms. His idea of how this plan would layout did not match what went through his mind. Of course, why should he expect Raph to ever follow orders? Oh that's right, he never did anyway.

"I was." Raph claimed with a frown. He glanced at Mikey for support, who simply shook his head and laughed.

"Liar. You had one look at freedom and took it like taking the last slice of pizza with other people around." He put his hands on his hips, grinning with satisfaction.

Mikey was ignored. "Raph, the point of this mission was to cut the bag's contents out without being seen." Donatello spoke up, twirling his drawn staff in his hand and putting it away. He shrugged. "We had a plan. If you hadn't-"

"Whoah whoah!" Raph held his hands up. "Since when am I the badguy? I cut the sack, didn't I?" He motioned his green hand to the ground, where a mound of seeds had accumulated from the bag. All gazes averted to the substance before returning to the once who freed it.

"That method works when we're not training for stealth." Leo pointed out, walking towards his brother. Raph flinched away, but Leo didn't seem to mind. He motioned with his hands. "Both ways work, but right now, we need to focus on sticking to the shadows."

"It's the move of a coward." Raph suddenly spat out, making Leo take an involuntary step back. Now he was listening to his red-masked brother. "Who cares how it's done? I cut the sack, and if Casey was an enemy, his throat would be cut too." Raph smiled, crossing his arms.

Casey put his hand to his throat and gulped, but April stepped forward before the brothers could argue further. She faced a different direction, so she wouldn't come off as taking sides. Besides, these brothers were always getting into arguments like this. There wasn't anything that could be done, really. "Hey, it doesn't matter." She said quickly. "What's done is done. We'll try again tomorrow Leo's way." She suggested with a smile, her green eyes looking up at Raph.

"Leo's way?" Raph sneered with disgust. As if a plan should hold such a title. "I thought it was 'our' plan in the first place."

"Someone slept on the wrong side of the bed." Mikey muttered to Don, his eyes raised with amusement. He put his nun-chucks away, blinking with slight amusement.

"Hey, shut up shell for brains!" Raph snapped, cutting off Leo from what he was about to say. Mikey flinched, putting his hands on his hips. Raph turned back to his blue-masked brother. "...Why can't we practice something more fun, like combat?" He asked, fisting his hands and looking at Leo, doing an air-punch.

"Because combat is a strength at the moment. We need to practice the weaker elements." Leo spoke calmly.

"Oh, so you're saying stealth is our weakness?" Raph raised his voice.

Leo kept a cool gaze. "Your act just now proved it, hothead."

"Why I ought to-"

"Guys! It's fine!" April cut in again, intervening the two brothers and taking turns glaring at each one of them. She stood between them so neither could make a move, though it didn't seem like her efforts were doing any good in the first place.

Raph ignored the woman between them. She ducked as if his words would sting her when he spoke again. "When do I get to pick what we train and practice?" He asked loudly, motioning with his hands to obviate his anger.

Leo pretended to consider, though he only did so to choose his words. "Maybe when you start listening to the leader." Leo replied, his fingers clenching with frustration. "You'll never be a good leader if you don't learn to follow."

"Oh, so you're Mr. High and Mighty aren't ya, teacher's pet?" Raph growled through clenched teeth. "Spitting out those stupid words you're just repeating from Master Splinter isn't going to make me any more lenient. Leaders don't need to follow."

The arguing continued. Don leaned over. "Maybe we should stop them..." Don whispered to Mikey, who looked about ready to grab a bag of popcorn.

"Are you kidding?" The orange-masked ninja didn't take his eyes off of his arguing brothers. "This is getting good."

"Someone's got to give orders." Leo replied, anger growing clear in his tone.

"Then why can't it be me?" Raph raged, his voice growing stronger and angrier.

"Because I-"

Raph cut him off. "Because you suck up to sensei and do whatever he wants, so he treats you like your his favorite. You get taught all the special moves, and you get trained like a leader. The leader should be the one with the strength, Leo. And that turtle is me!"

Leo slowly shook his head, his arms crossed. He didn't seem sympathetic for his little speech. "All you're doing right now is proving how immature you are, Raph." He replied coolly.

Raph stared at his brother with disbelief. His hands began to shake, and they drew his sais. Leo looked down at the weapons now in his brother's hands and flinched, taking a step back. "Raph..."

April stepped away, giving a small gasp of alarm as Raph pointed the sai at his brother. She stepped out of the way of the two turtles, obviously invisible to any help.

"Shut up! Just _shut up_!" He yelled at Leo, raising his sai closer to his face. His brother backed away, eyes wide.

"Raph, bro, calm down." Mikey reached out and put a hand on Raphael's shoulder. His gaze was a chill-out-and-have-a-soda look, which seemed effective on many when they were at the bottom of their temper. "Take a chill pill."

Raph's reaction was to swing his sai. Mikey dodged it by reflex and stepped back, his eyes slightly wider with wonder. Raph glared at him before turning and running towards the nearest building. He climbed up the fire escape and made a hasty exit over the roof while Mikey watched with horror. "Dude, he like..." Mikey couldn't find words.

"Where did that come from?" Casey asked curiously, scratching his head.

"He's been like this lately." Don observed, stepping forwards. "He just needs to cool off. He'll be fine in a few hours."

Raph had certainly been acting against orders lately. Maybe it would be a good idea for a little combat training, but something told Leo that wasn't the heart of the argument. Raph usually cooled off by the time the day ended, so he let it go for now. He turned away with his brothers to head home, leaving his hotheaded brother to cool of in the pouring rain.


	2. Run

**Sorry for dialog-less chapter. This kind of came to me, and I had to write it out or nothing would make sense later on. GRRRRR I'm having so much trouble grasping Raph. He's such an odd character, but I really like his character development through the series. He's hardheaded, stubborn, but sometimes he can be a giant teddy bear. He's also overprotective, and that is something I like in a character. Why must he be so bundled up in awesomeness? XD**

**The next chapter should be better, I swear. **

**Whoah. Quality check. This chapter outdoes the last chapter for sure. I should go back and shape up the first chapter.**

* * *

The rain was merciless, falling in a seemingly endless mass over New York. Raph paid no attention to it, running as his top speed over the rooftops with his mask strings fluttering behind him. He turned to look behind him, wary that his brothers would pursue him. Thankfully, they had the brains to leave him alone. His arms were tense as he balanced himself, jumping a narrow alley and landing with a frustrated grunt. The way of the ninja did not encourage noise, but it was all Raph could do not to scream at the sky.

The moon was a bulb of white, hanging peacefully in the sky. It was full this night, shedding light into the shadows. It shone upon Raph and his inner struggle, making him all the more angry. Why would such a peaceful sky-lit object shine upon the anger in him?

His struggles were not immediate, nor did they develop over night. This was days and days of following under Leo's seemingly leader-like person. It was under Master Splinter as well as his other brothers who granted him this leadership. Raph said nothing of their choosing.

This wasn't even a serious fight, either. No, this was far from their worst. But every fight gave Raph a sense of rejection. _He_ pushed away all of his weakness,_ he_ pushed away all of his vulnerability, _he_ retained strength by quick thinking. It was always up to Leo to criticize what he did. That was only part of what bothered him. Leo could say all he wanted to Raph, provoking the red-masked ninja into a fight. Actually, Mikey did the same. Playing with his temper, knowing exactly how to push his buttons and make him feel like he put in worthless effort.

This wasn't all the time. In fact, the more Raph kept his mouth shut on missions, the easier everyone got along. That was what tore him. All he did was stir up trouble. Hey, that was what he was best at, right?

When did it get to thinking about what he did wrong? He had no idea. He only knew to run. He only knew to keep running.

All his thoughts were mixed up. Was it his fault? He didn't want it to be. Was it Leo's fault? He wanted it to be. Was it Mikey's fault? ...It usually was his fault for many things. But he was not the reason he is on the rooftops.

Not him alone, anyway. It was all three of his brothers.

Yeah, he did the exercise differently. So what? His stupid temper had to make him run off on such a stupid term. Now he felt like a brat. But he couldn't just go back to his home and say "Sorry for being a brat" could he?

Ridiculous. He was so pathetic.

He came to a sudden halt in the middle of the rain, looking down at the puddles forming on the roof. He grimaced. What an idiot. What a stupid hothead, running off on such a stupid circumstance.

_Go home, Raph. Your brothers just played with your temper again. They didn't like the way you played._

He turned around and sprung for home. It was then that he realized why he got so worked up. He stopped again, looking at the horizon over the canal. The rain shattered his sight, making it harder to make out the difference between sky and earth. He realized why he was here. He had to gather all of his jumbled up thoughts and mash them together, but in a nutshell, he was jealous of Leo.

_Jealous?_

Raph paced the rooftop, his sais drawn into his hands. He twirled them as he pieced his mind together. Leo was the chosen leader. Even he approved, right? Back then, when things were simpler, he didn't imagine it would be of any importance who lead. As long as they kept their shell on and work as a team. Raph could do that, too. But Leo was chosen for his so called _wisdom._ In this red-masked turtle's mind, strength outmatched wisdom. He should be the one highly respected by his brothers, and the one they followed through victory. He should be the one taught special moves and chants by his sensei. Did Master Splinter not approve of his own knowledge enough to teach him secrets as well as Leo?

Why Leo?

Well, you'd have to narrow it down by numbers. Mikey was... well... just Mikey. Not a suitable leader whatsoever unless the mission was a giant videogame. Even then, he didn't know if he would trust him. Donatello was very intelligent. He is graceful, and wise. Why could he not be fit to lead? Raph narrowed his eyes, realizing Don never seemed like one to take control. He was more of a _go with the flow_ kind of turtle. And Raph?

Like Mikey, he was just Raph. Hotheaded, impatient, rebellious...

but _strong_.

That is what a leader needs to be. Strong. Why could Master Splinter never see this? Raph twirled his sais and sheathed them, relaxing his tense muscles. He felt cooled down now, even though frustration was still gripping on. The rain was never-ending over his head, making him shiver with chills. The darkness did not help with the coldness the rain brought. Even so, the silent beat made his thinking prolong. He'd just have to prove his leadership.

_But I've been doing that! There's no way that it'll change anything._

He turned and leapt an alley, heading home. Nothing he could do would ever change a thing. In fact, dwelling in this insolent manner would only frustrate the others. None felt any pity or empathy when he was frustrated. That's to be expected, though._ Raphie's gone to vent to the rain again; I guess we'll just wait 'till he gets home. He can take care of himself out there._

_But I can take care of myself._

Raph became deeply confused. Irritation made him wonder why he was even trying to balance his emotions and thoughts, even when there was no point. It would just prolong his suffering. Nothing he thought of ever made sense anymore.

It took him a moment to realize he was standing on the roof by his sewer entrance. He snapped from his mixed thoughts and sprung to the ground, vanishing into the dark hole of his home, and leaving the rain above his head.

The illuminated television screens lit the small area in the turtle's home, making a small light source for the place. The rain helped flood the tunnels of the sewers, causing thrashing and angry waves of water to beat against the walls. The home of the turtles was caught in these sounds, and it made the whole place creak. Raph had made it just in time before the tunnels became too full to travel in. Once he returned, he found his brothers going about their own business, paying no attention as he entered. Though they all knew of his presence. He was thankful they were too busy to speak.

Figures, after he took ten steps in the power cut out. Their home became dark with shadows, causing the four to stir up slight panic. Mikey let out a childish whine in the corner. "My high score! Gone! No!" He cried out, collapsing to the ground and dropping his controller.

"Great, now I can't see what I'm doing." Don's small growl sounded from the other side of the lair.

Raph looked from side to side, his eyes narrowed. He went about his direction, knowing this place by heart and knowing where to step foot. He just wanted to go to his room and coop himself up from his brothers. The electricity bounced on again before he reached his room, and he turned around to have a look. Mikey still sat in sorrow, frustrated over his game loss. Don resumed his work. Did that turtle ever get any sleep?

Leo was nowhere to be found. That was to be expected, he usually went to a solitary place to practice his training. _Teacher's pet. _Raph thought with anger. He probably had to stop somewhere and stay there until the water levels lowered. The red-masked turtle had to smile with satisfaction, though for a brief moment, he wondered if his brother was okay.

Raph gritted his teeth. Where did the random thought come from? Master Splinter had once told him that his hard shell didn't block out the love for his brothers, and that he noticed his over-protective nature for all of them. All he wanted to say right now was screw that, because he didn't really care where his brother was at the moment.

He knew that was a lie.


End file.
